Date: August 1, 2009
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Location:
Borders (in the same strip as Target)
4420 Mitchellville Road
Bowie, MD 20716
Phone: 301.352.5560
See you there!
Bowie Borders Knitting Meetup
July 28, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Before and After
July 24, 2009 By 5 Comments
It’s been ages since I’ve blogged, and I have a good reason. We’ve been busy! The kids have been on vacation with their grandparents, and John and I decided to undertake a cleaning up/redo of the most used and messiest room in the house–our den. We’ve still got a few little tweaks here and there, but it’s pretty much done and I wanted to share the results before it looks too lived in again. So…. drum roll, please:
Desk, before
Desk, after
My desk was the biggest challenge. Getting rid of clutter, having the important stuff where I can reach it, having it well lit and the right height and all of those other ergonomic considerations… this was the best solution. We used elfa shelves from The Container Store. The printers are at differing heights so I can reach the glass on the all-in-one, and we have under-counter kitchen LED lights over the monitor so the bleary-eyed blogger can see what she’s doing.
Bookshelf, before
Bookshelf, after
The bookshelf we had in the den was a sorry little thing that could not hold all of my knitting books and magazines. So, they tended to pile up on the floor. Now, the elfa shelves cover the entire distance under the window, and I have room to spare.
Sofa, before
Sofa, after
The sofa area was also an issue. It’s where I sit to do most of my knitting, and it’s always cluttered with stuff, and usually, no one could sit on it. But, even if they could sit on it, it was looking worn and old. So, rather than buying new furniture just now, I bought slip covers and pillows to dress it up. Oh, and the ottoman? It was a last minute find at Target, and all the yarn for my active knitting projects is safely hidden inside (instead of being all over the sofa!).
Last but not least is the media area:
Entertainment center, before
Entertainment center, after
What can I say? It was time to bring the media center into the 21st Century. The old media furniture had been with me since college. And our TV was old and broken… with horrible lines in the picture. So, it was time to redo. Once again we went with elfa shelves with storage bins for the huge collection of DVDs. We pared these down a lot (for example, no one here watches Sesame Street anymore, so all those videos have gone to a new home), but of the plethora that was left, there was a place for every one. And we still have an empty drawer, because we know there will be more. How cool is that? Room for growth!
So THIS is what has kept me away from the blog for so long. Hopefully regular knitting will resume soon and I’ll settle in to my new clutter-free zone.
Much thanks go to Lynn from Clutterbusters, who helped us organize, sort, pare down, and find a place for everything. This was all SO wonderful, and I’m glad it’s done!
Now, if you’ll excuse me… I’ve got some relaxing to do.
We Now Return to Our Regular Blogging…
July 17, 2009 By 1 Comment
I’ve got no excuses really… there just hasn’t been much to blog about lately and I haven’t felt like doing it. Except for last weekend’s knit group, which was really a lot of fun! I’ve been late in sharing those photos, so here we go, As usual, click the thumbnails to make with the bigger and read details:
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- Yvonne models the sweater she made for her sister.
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- Alice is working on a poncho.
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- Bernida is making cute little toddler dresses.
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- Jenn and Heather are making matching shrugs from Vogue.
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- Marie is helping Kristin figure out her pattern.
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- Leslie is making good progress on her sweater.
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- Marie taught Trish how to purl this day.
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- Rhoda is knitting another bag. The first one turned out great!
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- Stacy is reading up on sock knitting.
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- Tammy shows the cute little bag she made for her granddaughter.
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- That Wanda can’t even fake a frown!
It was a great day where we welcomed a couple of new members… Bernida and Kristin. I hope you guys had fun, and we hope to see you again next time!
Wanda had to take a trip to the frog pond because the sweater she was making was just too big for her skinny self. She tried to pout for her photo to express her lack of glee over ripping back, but if you know Wanda, you know it’s hard for her to turn that big smile of hers upside down!
Marie as usual was eager to help folks out of their knitting trouble spots. Trish was learning to purl and Kristin had been having trouble with a pattern and Marie helped her figure it out.
Tammie made an adorable little bag for her granddaughter, which wasn’t supposed to be quite so little, but can you say SUPER-felted?? She even felted her granddaughter’s name onto the bag. I’ll have to ask her about her technique. It looks perfect.
Yvonne modeled the sweater she made for her sister, and confessed that she’d probably wear it once before sending it off. I don’t blame her; it looks great!
I love our little group (which is getting less little every time) and how everyone is such great friends. It’s only been a week and I can’t wait for next month already.
I’ve had a crazy week. The kids got off to Florida yesterday after a week that included much packing. (WAY too much packing, according to Grandpa.) The hubster and I are tackling a project to reorganize our den/family room while the kids are gone, and trying to enjoy some alone time. So far, it’s mostly just quiet around here; the cats don’t even know what to do.
I’m documenting our progress in the den for a full confessional — from clutterville to calm. Look for that in about a week when it’s all done. Today we had a professional organizer come and help us sort through everything and pack up to get it out of here. Custom shelves come on Monday. I even found places for all of my yarn. It’s all good. Yessssss…..
Tomorrow? Date night. Hubster is taking me to see Harry Potter as a belated birthday present. Can’t wait.
Ciao for now…
Tiny Knitting, HUGE Bag
July 9, 2009 By 2 Comments
log cabin square in progress
What’s it for? Why knit something so painfully small? Well, that part I can’t say. But I do hope it’s going to be fabulous. I like small knitted things. I’m fascinated by knitted miniatures, and how detailed they can be despite their miniscule size. Have you seen this video on YouTube? It’s miniature knitting as a true art form:
In contrast to the really small, something really big came in the mail today!
Namaste Hermosa Tote
It’s the Namaste Hermosa Tote, in eggplant, of course! OMG is this thing HUGE! It’s not really a purse, like the other bags are. It’s more a giant tote, with a nice firm bottom that stands well on its own. It has an attached “saddlebag” thingy on the outside, great for stashing knitting tools, or purse-y stuff or whatever. There are pockets on the inside and out, and the main compartment is so cavernous that one could easily carry an afghan in progress or a REALLY big sweater to knit group. There’s also a large pocket on the outside perfect for carrying sheet patterns so they don’t get rumpled by being jammed in the bag.
What I don’t know is whether this bag will be an everyday use sort of thing. It’s really so big I wonder if It’ll get in my way more than not. But, I also bought this:
Namaste Small Clutch
Namaste Small Clutch, open
I have more to tell but it will have to wait for another day. My pillow beckons. Ciao!
In a Slump
July 5, 2009 By 3 Comments
Various colors of Cascade 220
A knitting and blogging slump. In the last week I have done the equivalent of less than one row’s worth of stitches on Jen’s scarf, and about a third of a row on my February Lady Sweater. Hardly worth blogging about, huh?
I think it’s because everything’s in a mess around here. I’ve had piles of yarn with no place to go all over the couch for months. I bought some of those new Ziploc Totes and I’ve discovered that I don’t think I like them. I can’t say why, really, but I’ve got one here in the middle of my floor which is not quite full of yarn and won’t hold its shape, and so it’s constantly falling over and getting in the way. I guess it’s good that the totes apparently hold a LOT of yarn. As much or more than my Rubbermaid tubs which are also overflowing. But I can’t quite figure out if there’s an advantage to this product over a Rubbermaid tub. I guess, for me, there probably isn’t one.
We’re getting ready to totally organize this room and I am growing impatient now. The kids are leaving in about 10 days on vacation with the grandparents and we’re going to seriously attack this room where we spend most of our family time. I’ve hired a professional organizer and I’ve been to the Container Store. There are going to be some major changes around here!
The reorganization, as great as it will be, does not include space for my yarn! My yarn, which as much as I love it, has completely taken over my life. My husband and I have been discussing this conundrum, and he has agreed that we should clear out the closet in the front entry hall and stack the yarn bins in there. I think this will be good because I’ll be able to get to things relatively easily, and finally it will all have a place to be. At least I HOPE it all fits in there. Wish me luck on that! I shall come clean, as they say, and take photos of the transformation in this room as it happens. I know I’m not the only person who lives in a cluttered mess and if documenting the process helps anyone (or keeps me from repeating it myself) then so be it. I’m going to share.
I think this is gonna be great. But probably not so much knitting this month. I’m nervous and hopeful all at once. Wish me luck.
My mom’s birthday is next Monday, the 13th. I am working on a birthday card idea that includes a wee bit of knitting. More on that later.
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